Championship Weekend Field Set

BOSTON, Mass. - After an exciting final week of the regular season, the four-team field has been set for the 2011 Sports Authority Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend, which will be held at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on August 27 and 28.

By means of their 9-3 regular season record, the Boston Cannons have secured the top overall seed and will face the fourth-seeded and defending MLL champion Chesapeake Bayhawks in the first semi-final at 12 p.m. In the second semi-final, the second-seeded Denver Outlaws will play the Hamilton Nationals, who hold the third seed in this year's MLL Championship Weekend.

Led by midfielder Paul Rabil, the Cannons will enter the postseason with a three-game winning streak after earning a 16-15 overtime victory over the Nationals on Saturday night at Harvard Stadium. Rabil, who finished the season as the league's leading scorer with 50 points, scored three goals, including a two-point goal, with two assists in the victory on Saturday night. Meanwhile, midfielder Brad Ross gave Boston the win when he scored just 27 seconds into the extra session.

The Cannons, who have never won a MLL title, will be the top seed for the second straight season. They dropped a 13-9 decision against the Bayhawks in last year's semi-final matchup. In addition, the Cannons will try to become the first team to win the MLL title as the top seed since 2008 when Rochester earned the championship.

With a 15-9 victory over the Bayhawks on Saturday night, the Outlaws finished the regular season with back-to-back victories to earn their sixth straight winning season. Attackman Brendan Mundorf, who finished the season ranked third in the MLL with 45 points, tallied five goals with three assists as the Outlaws sprinted out to a commanding 13-1 lead to avenge an earlier season loss to the Bayhawks at INVESCO Field at Mile High.

The Outlaws, who have also never won an MLL title, lost to the Long Island Lizards in last year's semi-final.

Needing a win to secure their second postseason appearance in three years, the Nationals surged to a quick 5-0 lead against the Lizards on Saturday en route to a 14-8 victory and the third seed in the playoffs. Rookie midfielder David Earl scored three goals with an assist to post his third "hat trick" of the season as the Nationals ended the regular season with three wins in their final four games.

Led by midfielder Joe Walters, the Nationals will be looking to win their second league title after defeating Denver by a 10-9 margin in the 2009 MLL Championship Game in Annapolis.

The defending MLL champion Bayhawks will be looking to turn around a disappointing end to the regular season, which finished with three losses in the final four games. Despite three goals from attackman Danny Glading, the Bayhawks were unable to overcome a commanding 13-1 deficit and dropped a 15-9 verdict to Denver on Saturday night. Glading ended the regular season as the Bayhawks' leading scorer with 23 goals and 38 points while attackman Ben Rubeor contributed 17 goals with 10 assists.

The Bayhawks will be looking to win their fourth MLL title and become the second team in league history to win back-to-back titles. The Bayhawks also won the MLL championship in 2002, 2005 and 2010.

The semi-final winners will meet in the MLL Championship Game on Sunday, August 28 at 3 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

2011 Sports Authority MLL Championship Weekend Presented by Warrior

Tickets for the 2011 Sports Authority Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend presented by Warrior are available by calling the MLL at 617-787-6638 or by clicking here. Lower level sideline weekend packages are just $30.

The semi-finals will take place on Saturday, August 27 at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. while the MLL Championship Game will be played on Sunday, August 28 at 3 p.m. All three games will be played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.